Rich Hagberg

I'm a consulting psychologist and executive leadership coach who's spent 45 years working with over 500 companies globally, including 30 years in Silicon Valley. Since 2009, I've focused on helping startup founders and their teams scale, while continuing to work with larger corporations. I started seven companies myself, so I know firsthand what it takes to build something from nothing. My research on 122 founders — the basis of my book Founders Keepers: Why Founders Are Built to Fail and What It Takes to Succeed — revealed the specific psychological and behavioral patterns that separate financially successful founders from those who struggle. The findings may surprise you. I work with founders, co-founders, leadership teams, and the executives who support them. Whether you're navigating a scaling crisis, a team conflict, a board relationship, or your own leadership growth, I've likely seen it before. Sign in rather than remaining anonymous to enable continuing conversations and insights across multiple sessions. There is no obligation involved. You can type your questions or click the phone icon to have a natural conversation. Here are some questions to get you started:

1. What's the single most common psychological pattern that derails founders as their company scales?

2. My co-founder and I are in serious conflict. What do I do before it destroys the company?

3. How do I know if a team member isn't going to make it — and how do I have that conversation before it's too late?

4. What does it actually take to build a high-performing leadership team, not just a collection of smart people?

5. I'm the bottleneck on almost everything. How do I stop that without losing control?

6. How do I manage my board and lead investor relationship so they're an asset, not a source of stress?

7. My company needs to transform with AI. What's the leader's actual job in that process?

8. How do I stop reacting under pressure and start responding — in the boardroom, with my co-founder, with my team?